Ruth "Ricky" Ann Seidelman

 

Ruth Ann Baumholtz Seidelman

September 22, 1935 - January 14, 2024

Ruth "Ricky" Ann Baumholtz Seidelman, 88, passed away near her home of Wallingford, PA on the morning of Sunday, January 14th. 

Born in Philadelphia to parents Martin and Evelyn in 1935, Ricky spent her childhood riding horses, playing with her dog Duke, and being a camper and counselor at Camp Reeta alongside her sisters, Debbie (zichrona livracha) and Bonnie. A graduate from Olney High School, her first job was working for her father at the Alliance Electric Company. With time, Ricky put her head for figures and design to use as an interior designer, becoming one of few women of her generation to own her own business. As an interior designer, her greatest professional achievement was designing professional offices Veterans Stadium for a former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Ricky married Murray Jay Seidelman in July of 1955 on what she often recalled was the hottest, most humid day of the summer. Ricky became an Army wife shortly thereafter when Murray was drafted and deployed to Korea in support of the Korean War, and they chose to start their family immediately upon his return home. Married 68 years, they lovingly raised three daughters and many dogs at their home in Wallingford, Pennsylvania.

Ricky was a proud Reform Jew. She served as the president of Main Line Reform Temple from 1984-1986, lovingly baked Chanukkah cookies and hamantaschen every year with her grandchildren, and always cooked the best brisket in the whole world for Rosh Hashanah, Pesach, or anytime her grandchildren specifically requested it. A passionate Zionist, Ricky enjoyed the countless trips she made to Israel for two of her daughters' weddings, the births of 4 of her grandchildren, and to visit her sister, Debbie. Ricky deeply believed in the importance of giving her time and money to Jewish causes, and she spent years supporting her synagogue, ORT, Hadassah, and more. 

Ricky's greatest joy was her grandchildren and great grandchildren, and her eyes twinkled anytime she talked about them. She loved nothing more than to cook her family’s favorite foods, gather them together, and sit back and watch as they laughed, loved, and celebrated holidays and birthdays together. Children were truly the apple of her eye, and she had no qualms about sneaking them extra dessert when their parents weren’t looking, accompanied by a wink and quietly whispered best location to eat the forbidden treat.

A passionate hostess, Ricky loved hosting Thanksgiving dinners and Pesach seders, always inviting local Jewish college students who couldn't go home for celebrations to join her family table. Ricky put a lot of thought and attention into details, and always dressed to the nines while making sure her home was beautifully decorated and welcoming to anyone who walked through the door. She loved a good Scrabble game, Dewar’s scotch, and vanilla ice cream.

She is survived by her husband, Murray ("Skip") Seidelman, her sister Bonnie Tuft, her three daughters Sherri, Karen, and Penny, her 7 grandchildren Naama, Yigal, Noa, David, Sarah, Abigail, and Aharon, and her 7 great grandchildren Yael, Dalia, Eliana, Regan, Asher, Orli, and Zayn.

Ricky will be buried at Haym Salomon Memorial Park in a private burial, with shiva to follow

Donations in her memory can be made to Main Line Reform Temple, https://mlrt.org/, the Jewish National Fund, https://www.jnf.org/, or Meals on Wheels of Delaware County, https://mowdelco.org/.

 

May her memory be for a blessing.